GOP Senator Jeff Flake: Republican Presidential Candidate Who Supports Marriage Equality 'Inevitable': Video

GOP Arizona Senator Jeff Flake assured Chuck Todd on Meet The Press today that a Republican presidential candidate who supports marriage equality is "inevitable."

Flake also reiterated that he does not intend to change his personal view on marriage (that it is between one man and one woman) while he is in political office which means that he would clearly not be that accepting candidate if he ever decided to through his hat into the presidential ring.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP.

Arizona House Panel Approves 'Bathroom Bill' Shielding Businesses That Discriminate Against Trans People

After a seven hour hearing late yesterday, the Arizona House Appropriations committee approved a bill targeting trans people and their ability to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify, the AP reports:

The 7-4 vote concluded an hours-long parade of transgendered and straight people who tried to persuade the panel to oppose Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. John Kavanagh’s bill. The crowd broke out in chants of “shame, shame, shame” as the vote on the bill sponsored by the conservative Republican passed.

Kavanagh had radically altered the bill after being faced with an outcry from advocacy groups...

The original bill would have made it a crime for a transgendered person to use a bathroom other than his or her birth sex. The new bill instead seeks to shield businesses from civil or criminal liability if they ban people from restrooms that don’t match their birth sex.

The bill now goes to Arizona's full House for consideration.

Arizona Town of Bisbee Plans to Recognize Same-Sex Civil Unions

A southern Arizona town is taking civil union legislation up on its own, the L.A. Times reports:

Tuesday evening, Bisbee City Council members voted to allow the next best thing to gay marriage. In a first reading of an ordinance, adding a chapter to its city charter, they cleared the way for civil unions. The vote by the seven-member council was unanimous, making it likely to pass on a final vote scheduled in two weeks.

 “I think it’s time,” Mayor Adriana Zavala Badal said of the proposal. “We’ve been working on this as a country for a long time.”

The ordinance, which allows for a form of union regardless of the sexual orientation of the couple, would be effective only within Bisbee and affect certain benefits and policies within the city. Bisbee, situated along the U.S.-Mexico border, has about 5,600 residents.

The civil union certificate would provide city benefits an unwed couple, such as disability or compensation for the partners of city workers and other benefits such as family discounts at the city pool. Currently, partners don’t qualify.

What will the State of Arizona do about the town's actions?

It’s unclear whether state officials will challenge Bisbee’s proposed ordinance if it passes a final vote.

Although the Arizona Constitution defines a marriage between a man and a woman, it doesn’t appear to forbid same-sex civil unions, said Jack Tweedie, director of children and families program at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Phoenix, Arizona City Council Approves Broad LGBT Non-Discrimination Ordinance in 5-3 Vote: VIDEO

In what is being called one of the most contentious City Council meetings the city has ever had, Phoenix, Arizona, the sixth most populous city in the nation, last night passed broad laws barring discrimination against LGBT residents, the Arizona Republic reports:

Gay-rights advocates said the move was a long time coming. They said Phoenix, the sixth-largest city in the country, is playing “catch-up” with at least 166 other U.S. cities and counties that have adopted similar laws.

An estimated 500 people packed the Orpheum Theatre, and dozens of people spoke on both sides of the issue. Many supporters wore “yes” stickers and rainbow pins.

The paper adds:

Mayor Greg Stanton fast-tracked the reforms, which ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression — those who identify as a different sex than they were born as.

The changes approved Tuesday would prohibit discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, such as restaurants and hotels. Businesses and individuals that don’t comply could be criminally prosecuted and face a misdemeanor charge, punishable by a $2,500 fine.

Phoenix currently offers few such safeguards for gay people but bans discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age and marital status.

Watch a news report with video of the meeting, AFTER THE JUMP...

Go-Go Dancer Helps Subdue Ax-Wielding Man In Gay Club

It happened at the Oz bar in Phoenix a week ago and thankfully no one was hurt. Watch a news clip about the episode, AFTER THE JUMP.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is Gone and No One Knows Where

A mysterious trip out of state, according to the Associated Press, has caused Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to shirk her duties to certify election ballots, and nobody knows where she is:

Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson said in a brief email to The Associated Press that Brewer was unavailable to participate in the general election canvass Monday morning because she was out of the state on official business.

"That is all I can disclose at this time," Benson added.

He later reiterated that during a brief phone interview during which he said he could not respond to several questions about Brewer's whereabouts.

Under the Arizona Constitution, Secretary of State Ken Bennett is the acting governor because Brewer is absent from the state. Bennett said his office late Friday received the customary notification of Brewer's absence. Bennett spokesman Matt Roberts said the notification sent by a Brewer scheduling aide said the governor would be gone Sunday morning to Saturday afternoon. Roberts said Bennett and his staff did not receive any additional information about Brewer's whereabouts.